Swivel-joint for electric conductors.



0. TWININE. SWIVEL JQINT EoE ELEGTEIG coNDUoToEs.

'APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1912. l 1,070,301 VPatented Aug. 12, 1913.

Ano/eww v To all whom it may concern.'

CHARLES TWINING, F LOCUST POINT, NEW JELLSEY"1 swIvEL-JOINT non ELECTRIC common:ons'.v y

Application led' J une 29, 1912. Serial No. 706,593;

Be it known that I, CHARLES IKwINING, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain, and al resident of Locust Point, Vin the county of- Monmouth and State of New Jersey,y have invented a new and- Improved SwivellJoint for-Electric Conductors', ofwhi/eh the following is a full, clear, and exact das/iripti'oii.

My invention'crelates to'a new and 1m proved swivel joint lfor electric/conductors,

the preferred embodiment of the .invention construction, whereby the cost of being characterized by few parts, of simple production of such'devices -is lessened.v

The principal objectof my invention' ish'tov provide a swiveljoint for connection toelec'- tric conductors, especially adapted to provide efficient means,whereby a portion of the conductor may be turned relatively to the other without entanglement. `.[t is of some iymportance in the production of devices of thls class that the constructlon i Veiciently perform the purpose for which it was intended;` and such fact has been borne' in mind.

Reference is tion,.in whichsimilar characters of reference denote corresponding parts. ina'l the views,

and in which- Figure 1, is a perspective .view of the,

. swivel connected to electric conductors;

` is capable ofzfiperforrnance lof t though nctfessentia-lly, Ijof icylindrical cn- I s tructionJ- fcontains af preferably circular rel-7.- cess 3, the member being''counterbored'A at Fig. Q'is a .vertical sectional View thereof;

Fig. A3 is a similar' view of a modified form;.

Fig. 4 is-aA vertical sectional viewfoffa further modification., y E l ,.3

The device includes the counterbred body- I member lI and the shouldered and'bored cyf" lindrical. member 2,' the particular. Sifze and 'for-xn .of thesefparts` as'well-'a's'the material' variation :as long as' the "resultingljstructure,

intended.

The 'tn-member f1, amalfi prerftify",

4, the counter-bored portion "receiving'anfannular insulating element 5gg The cylindrical-'body member 2 `has a f df which -i-sA substantially equal .to the diameter of:th'e recess 3 inthe member 1,-this'. member 2 being-longitudinally bored, as at f .medium of'a rin n Q c l. to be had to the accompanyi ing drawings, forming part of this speclca.

Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 12,1913.

7, in order to. receive anlannular insulating r element 8.

Referring ,'particularlyto Fig. 2.0i .the

drawings, it will be noted that the shoull dered endj `of the member 2 is entered into members being .capableofrelativemo'velment., withdrawal; ofthe'v vshouldered end from the recess being prevented through the 9, the innerl diameter of which is substantially eq'ual to the diameter of the member 2,' the outer diameter of whichl is substantially equal to thefdiameter of the recess 3,A the ring-engagingthe side `wal1 of the recess, throughy the medium 'of lscrew threads 10. "-After theV shouldered member 2 has been entered into'the recess andthe ring 9 has been placed in position,

the parts may-.be held together ifi-'anyv Suitable-manner, preferably by meansfof'screws or equivalent,devices'v 11, which passtli-rogli the wall'of the recess-3 into'engagement with the said ring 9. y y

It will b`e noted' thatthe conducting cord 12, shown in Fig-2, is-niadeupjof two. wires 1211,12", one of -which,'f12, isfin electrical connection with .the body member, L-in iy] suitable'm'anner, as byfmeans of a set screw 13. O n reference `to.thissame figure .it will be noted thatthe'conductingcord. v14 is made up of two wires le?, v14", one:ofjwhieh,` 'l4h '1s in electrical connection withfthe body member 2 in 'any suitable.l manner,l prefer# ably bymieans f :a .set screw 15,l a considerlation of the structuremalrin'g -clear the fact that .-thei'wire 14? is inel'e'ctrical connection with the wire 12 b"be'cause of the-contact brought about bythe shoulder 6 Qmth'e'm'ei'n# -ber'Q with' thejrngcaried by the member 1L .o'r throu hcntact with the.side`wall' of the-recess .4',-ltgis essential, however', if, the

Swiveling action' is te be provided, that the, member'Qfturn relatively tothe memberfl, the wj1re'l2a-at1the same time being 'in electrgal'connection 'withlthe wire 119. Posi- -.t''oned within-,the ,interiorof theannular insulatmg'element 8 ,is'aj'plug 16,in electrical 'col'itact with tlievs'rire'14"lv which is secured thereto' by. means 'ci a set 1 s'crew-y 17 contained ,within .the annular-insulating element 5 is' r aplug :18 in electrical connection with thewii'e 12a bymeans of a set s cre'w 19. r 4Positioned within the major portion of the' 'ane nularelement p8 and -egifend1x1g'.Cupwardlyft nnnlar element 5, a rod '20, the..

the recessed end of the membergl, the 4two '60 i lower end 21 of which is tapering and en gages the said conducting plug 18, while the upper end of this rod bears against a helical spring 22. making contact with the said plug 1S and this said rod.

Itis clear nou7 that the body member 1 andthe conductor 12 may be turned relativelyvto the body member 2 and the coriductor 14 WithoutI entangling the conductors as when inserting a plug in the socket or when it is desired, under various circumstances, to turn some element in an electrical circuitrelatively to the conductor `in that same circuit.

The tension of the spring 22 is sufficient to maintainthe shouldered end of the member 2 in good electrical contact with the ring 9, or the sidewall of the recess 3, the spring at the saine time serving to conduct the current from the plug -18 to the rod 20.

It is'clear that various modifications of the particular arrangement of the parts shown in Fig. 2 will suggest. themselves to those skilled in the art, sus-h variations, however,

not involving a substantial change -in the' inventive idea.; in fact, in F ig. 3 I have set forth a modified form of the swivel embodying the same inventiveI idea as that set forth,

'in Fig. 2. In this instance, the body member 30 is provided with a recess 31, the member being counterbored, as at 32. Within the recess 31 and extending through the counterbored portion or opening 32 is a shouldered body member 33 which has an opening 311 extending therethrough, the shoulder` 35 of this body member engaging the bottom Wall of the recess 31 in the member 30 so that it is evident that with. the vparts as shown in Fig. 3, and with the diameter of the opening 32 substantially equal to the .diameter of the body member 33, that this body member canntt be withdrawn from the interior of the recess 31, save in one direction. In order to prevent withdrawal of this body member 33, the enlarged end of the recess 31 is closed by a suitable plug 33, preferably of insulating material, and having an opening 37 extending longitudinally thereof, into which a plug 38 is inserted; the wires of the conductor` 14 are, in this instance, in electrical contact with the body member 30 and the plug 38.

Contained within the longitudinally eX- tending opening 34 in the member 33 is a hollow cylindrical insulating element 39, carrying a plug l10 at its upper end, the wires of the conductor 12 being in electrical contactwith the said plug 10, and the said body member 33. The engagement between the shoulder 35 and the side wall or the bottom wall of the recess 31 provides electrical contact between the members 30, 33, the plugs 38 and 40 being in electricalmeontact through the medium of a rod 11 similar to the one previously described and maintained in osition in electrical contact through the me ium 'of a helical spring 22 similar to the one shown in Fig. 2.

When the wires of theconductor 12 are secured in position, as shown, and the wires of the conductor 14 are also secured either conductor may be turned or moved relatively to the other one without twisting or entangling the wires, the bottomvwall of the recess 3l in the member 30 sliding over or relatively to the shoulder 35 carried by the body member 33.

It is clear that this vrelation of the ,arts among themselves maybe changed wit outde arting from the spirit of t-he invention, an in Fig. 4 one such. departure is shown.

The body member 30 is provided with the lcal spring 22at contained Within the recess 31 in the member 30 at the bottom thereof and bearing against. such bottom and also the shoulder 35 of the relatively movable body member 33. It is clear that the pressure of the spring 22a will maintain the lower end of the plug 41 in electrical contact with the plug 38, while the contacting portions Lof the body members. 30, 33, will also serve to con duct the current, assisted by the spring 22a itself which is' in engagement with these members. i

It is'evident that the parts of the swivel, especially the body members with the connecting screws-carried thereby, may be suitably inclosed inf'an insulating jaclret o r casing; the covering forlthese members, in order to' prevent short-circuiting through contact thereof with the ground, when grounded circuits are employed, may also consist of some material applied to the outside-of the body members in place ,of the jackets or casings previously mentioned.

While I have shown the preferred form of my device and modications thereof in the drawings, it is, of course, clear that changes ,in such structures lying within the .terms of the appended claims are included wit-hin the inventive. idea disclosed.

Having thus described my invention, I

'claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters ber, the shouldered portion of the one en` gaging in the recessed portion of the other and being movable therein, means for maintaining the parts in engagement, the body members being in electrical contact with each other, an insulating element carried in the counterbored portion of the rst mem,- ber, an insulating element carried' by the second member, and conducting elements poi sition'ed within the insulating elements and in'contact with each other, whereby they form a conductor.

3. The combination of ay counterbored body member, aninsulating element positioned in t-he counterbored portion, a conducting element Within the insulating element, a shouldered element, -the shouldered portion of the said element being positioned within the recess of the first element, and incontact therewith, means for 'maintaining the'said portion in such recess, an insulating element carried by the said second body member, a conducting element carried by the insulating element and a spring-pressed conductor between the conductors in the said insulating elements, whereby the said body members are adapted to conduct a current and the said conducting elements are also adapted to conduct current one to the other, through the said spring-pressed conductor;

4. The coinbination of a body member having a recess therein, the body member being counterbored at the bottom of therecess, an insulating element contained in the counterbored portion, a conducting element within the insulating element, a second body member, the .said second body member being provided. with a longitudinally extending bore, an insulating element contained within the said bore, a conducting element within the insulating element, thesaid second body member being provided with a shoulder adjacent one end, the shoulder being positioned within the' recess of the first element, and a spring-pressed rod serving to conduct the current from one conducting element to the ments carried by the insulating elements,

and a spring-.pressedrod adapted to convey y current from one conductinglelementto the other, whereby the said swivel may be placed in position in an electric circuit.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to thisspecication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

vCHARLES TWINING.

Witnesses:

CHAS. E. DosoHER, M. ELFERS. 

